This invention relates to an adjustable advertising band for quick and easy locking, unlocking, and re-locking on merchandise.
It is well known that the purchasing decisions of consumers are driven not only by price but by quality. Quality involves an assessment of product components (i.e., appearance, look, feel, smell, etc.) as well as an assessment of labeling components (i.e., judgments regarding the product and the producer or sponsor of the product). With increasing competition for the consumer dollar, product differentiation emphasizing both components of quality is essential to increase market share.
This is particularly the case in the marketing of agricultural produce. Fresh-appearing produce sends a message of quality to the customer. But keeping agricultural produce in a fresh and visually appealing state requires more than casual attention. Water sprays and cooling air can help. But from the time produce is first harvested, there is the possibility of spoilage, and this is exacerbated under supermarket open display conditions, especially in the case of leafy agricultural produce. Even in the case of non-leafy produce, there sometimes exists a need to remove some portion that detracts from the sought-after look of quality. And it is at the end of the marketing chain, in the supermarket, where the look of quality is most critical for influencing the purchase decision of the consumer. It is also at that critical moment that judgment on quality is influenced by attention-getting advertising information, including attractive markings, trademarks, designs, recipes for use, nutritional information, and of course, the ubiquitous product and bar codes (whether optical, magnetic, or otherwise)--all of which can prompt the consumer toward a favorable subjective judgment about the produce and the producer or source of it.
Advertising labels sometimes may not be removed from produce when an effort is made to freshen it each day (e.g., as by removing wilted parts), but where removal is required to freshen the appearance of the produce, twist-tied labels are sometimes looked upon as too time-consuming to remove and replace, and adhesive tape labels are generally considered unsatisfactory since they do not readily re-stick or re-attach to cold wet vegetable surfaces. Needless delays in taking off and re-applying advertising labels during the process of freshening agricultural produce in the display racks, as well as the problem of effective advertising label reattachment, can deter or discourage effective freshening steps.
What has been needed is an appropriate advertising label that can be quickly and easily locked about merchandise and then quickly and easily unlocked to freshen the merchandise (such as by removal of damaged or wilted parts), followed by subsequent quick and easy re-locking or reattachment of the advertising label after the merchandise is freshened.